The City on Stilts: A Historic Settlement in the Heart of Brunei Capital City

Abstract

Brunei Darussalam is a small country that is located in the southeast Asia on the north west of the island of Borneo. Brunei Darussalam means ‘Abode of peace’ where it is well known for its water village (kampong Ayer) that is built along both banks of Brunei river (Sungai Brunei). Kampong Ayer is the first village and house settlement that is built where the history of the village dated back to 1521. There are different types of houses in kampong Ayer that can be divided into 6 types of houses. This paper will give an overview of how the houses are built and structured centuries ago and how it is different from modern days settlement houses. As well as, how the houses are built long time ago that includes finding the right place to build, the first column raised (Tiang Seri), roof, floor and walls. This paper will also explain the restriction of building a house at the water village in terms of placing the door, windows and many more. That concludes on how different the houses built a long time ago then now as people in the old days would rather build and carved their own houses where now it is hard for people that really know how to build a house like the way it is before the modern era.